Opinion

The highest court in the land has an opening. With Justice David Souter’s retirement, President Obama will nominate and the Senate will debate the confirmation of someone new to take his place.

It is no secret to anyone who has followed my career that I believe the role of a judge is to apply the law as written, not create law from the bench. Perhaps the best expression of this sentiment is found in the oath of office every federal judge in America, by law, must take. That oath reads:

I just finished a five-day bus trip to Washington, D.C. with St. Dominic’s eighth grade class and their parents. Well, let me tell you something. You never met a rowdier bunch in your life. Sure, the kids were OK, but those parents need some sharp edges rounded off.

This trip started at the “crack of dawn.” I always wondered what that looked like. Cindy drove me, my brother Tom, my son Will and nephew Christopher down to meet the bus at the school. I was determined to be on time for the early departure.

The Loretto Motherhouse will be featured on Kentucky Life on KET1 May 16 at 8 p.m. and May 17 at 4:30 p.m. and on KET2 at 7 p.m. on May 17. The description in my email reads, “The program visits the sisters of Loretto’s Motherhouse, a community of active and retired nuns, who farm, host retreats, maintain an art gallery and conduct tours detailing the history of one of the oldest convents west of the Appalachians.”

Last week, our community was fortunate enough to host the fourth-annual Bible-reading marathon on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse.

This event, while a blessing to those who get to read the word of God in public over this 90-hour event, is also a blessing to our community. Some folks who never hear God’s word get the opportunity to sit on a quite, cool evening and listen, while others might just drive by and hear a few words in their cars.

Being a parent is a tough and frightening job at times. But being a mother is always twice as hard as being a dad.

Listen to my story.

Before I married Cindy, we talked about many things. Most was about our future together and what we wanted from life. I came from a big family and I wanted a big family. You know, that’s not a very popular choice these days.

There is an ongoing debate about the merits of capital punishment in Kentucky.

For me, the debate ends just as soon as one brings up the morality of the death penalty. Is it right to kill another human being, regardless of what that human being does? For me, the answer to that question is a resounding “no,” unless it is a matter of self-defense.

A climate change has been developing over the last few years that could dramatically affect the life of every Kentuckian. The “climate” is not atmospheric, but political and social — growing sentiment toward reducing the role of coal in electric generation. Whatever its ultimate course, this climate change carries enormous implications for Kentucky, including price increases that could outpace any seen in our history.

Thursday afternoon when I came out of the Wal-Mart in Bardstown, my car would not start. A wonderful lady by the name of Lanette, who was parked front-to-front with me, offered her cell phone so that I could call home and AAA.

While I waited for AAA to arrive, Lanette went into the store and did her shopping. When she returned she had a Pepsi for me. Two other women and one man also stopped by and offered to help.

It’s an embarrassment to say that I’ve never been a good shot with a rifle and I come from Washington County.

I don’t know about Abraham Lincoln, but his Uncle Mordecai was lethal with a musket. He once shot an Indian off Abraham’s father, Thomas, when he was a kid. Needless to say, Mordecai was always Abraham’s favorite uncle.

In addition, this is the land where I routinely see kids in the paper with rifles taller than they are, standing next to a deer they just shot.

I don’t know about you, but I always feel like I need a vacation after a family vacation any more. Young people with all their energy will flat wear you out. Still, young kids and funny incidents seem to go together, and can make things “interesting.” It may not always seem funny at the time for the parents, but later, after you’ve settled down, it can bring a smile.

In 2008, more than 88,292 children across the Commonwealth were reported as abused or neglected to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

In Washington County their were 734 reports involving 864 children - 48 reports substantiated and 67 children substantiated. Last year in Kentucky there were 25 children whose death was the result of abuse or neglect.

Before the education reform act of 1990, Kentucky was ranked near the bottom of the list when compared to other states. Now our state has become a model for reform and has made significant jumps in almost all rankings related to education and student achievement. All Washington County schools have made significant academic progress during the past several years. This progress has been documented and measured by increasing scores on both state and national assessments.